Introduction to Social Problems: Issues in Social Policy

Description

The study of social problems is a major theme in undergraduate programmes in social policy, sociology and professional courses in health and social care. It also forms a key element of assessment in many applied social studies programmes. Understanding Social Problems looks at the key social problems confronting contemporary society, ranging from child poverty and divorce to community safety and drug abuse. Each chapter is written by an expert in that particular field. Contributors examine how social problems have been conceptualized within sociology and social policy and the varying approaches of policy analysts. The book includes substantive studies of current and emerging issues and explores the role of the media in the presentation and discussion of social problems and policy responses. It also highlights the links between the analysis of social problems and policy formation. Accessible, student-friendly, and with a range of helpful pedagogical tools, Understanding Social Problems fills an important gap in the textbook literature.

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About Author

Margaret May is one of the editors of The Student's Companion to Social Policy (1997) and of the forthcoming Blackwell Dictionary of Social Policy (2001). Edward Brunsdon's publications include contributing to and editing The Social Policy Review (1996-1998) and studies of private welfare (in R Page & S Silburn (eds) British Social Welfare in the Twentieth Century (1999) and welfare management (in S Horton & R Farnham (eds.) Public Management in Britain (1999). Edward Brunsdon and Margaret May are Principal Lecturers in Social Policy in the Department of Sociology and Applied Social Studies at London Guildhall University. Robert Page is currently a Reader in Social Policy at the University of Leicester. He is the author of Stigma (1984) and Altruism and the Welfare State (1996). He is the co-editor (with Vic George) of Modern Thinkers on Welfare (1995) and (with Richard Silburn) of British Social Welfare in the 20th Century (1999).

Contents

List of Figures. List of Tables. About the Contributors. Guide to the Book. Social Problems in Social Policy: An Introduction (Margaret May, Robert Page and Edward Brunsdon) PART ONE. STUDYING SOCIAL PROBLEMS. 1. Social Problems: Sociological Perspectives (John Clarke) 2. The Exploration of Social Problems in the Field of Social Policy (Robert Page) PART TWO. SOCIAL POLICY, SOCIAL PROBLEMS. The Family. 3. Family Change and Lone Parents as a Social Problem (Jane Lewis) 4. Caring and Dependency: Age and Disability (John Baldock) 5. Domestic Violence (Lorraine Radford) Poverty and Social Exclusion. 6. The Changing Face of Poverty (David Donnison) 7. Child Poverty and the Policy Response (Karen Rowlingson) 8. Homelessness (Mark Liddiard) 9. Income and Wealth (Paul Spicker) Health. 10. Health Inequalities (Helen Jones) 11. Mental Disorder (Pauline Prior) 12. Problematic Identities and Health (David Kelleher) Community Problems. 13. The Problematic Community (Susanne MacGregor) 14. Safe and Sound? Crime, Disorder and Community Safety Policies (Dee Cook) 15. Drugs and Drug Misuse (Arthur Gould) PART THREE. REPORTING SOCIAL PROBLEMS. 16. Press-Ganged! Media Reporting of Social Work and Child Abuse (Bob Franklin and Nigel Parton) 17. Defrauding the Community? The Abuse of Welfare (Hartley Dean) 18. Ways of Seeing: The News Media and Racist Violence (Eugene MLaughlin and Karim Murji) PART FOUR. CONSUMER PROTECTION IN SOCIAL POLICY. 19. Protecting the 'Vulnerable': Welfare and Consumer Protection (Margaret May) 20. Food and the Environment (Meg Huby) Index.